Wood decay fungi ID

by Mariel Rivera, Tree Doctors

On January 21, 2023, the ISA Southern Chapter hosted a 4-hour workshop on Identification of Wood Decay Fungi at El Bosque comunitario de Río Hondo in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Mushroom farmer and community scientist Kurt Miller shared his vast knowledge on the topic which sparked many questions and comments from fellow arborists.

The Fungi kingdom is an immense and diverse group of organisms, but mycologist Miller was able to classify and simplify the information for us to take home basic concepts that are relevant for tree risk assessment and tree climbing safety. The workshop included a walk through the community forest trails to identify the fruiting bodies at site.